Riverdale football player in coma after heat stroke

A Lee County football player is in a coma after he collapsed during practice last month.

Monday, July 10th 2017, 5:51 pm EDT by Ben Henry

Updated:

Monday, July 10th 2017, 8:47 pm EDT

A Lee County football player is in a coma after he collapsed during practice last month.

Zach Polsenberg, 16, who plays at Riverdale High School, had a heat stroke, according to his godmother.

She says at its highest, Zach's body temperature was 107 degrees and didn’t start lowering for an hour.

The Lee County School District told NBC2 one student had a medical emergency that day. The district says coaches stepped in to help and called 911.

Zach is now in a coma at a Miami hospital, and his godmother says that as of Monday, his condition was not getting better.

According to the Florida High School Athletic Association, the school is responsible for setting guidelines for practices held during the summer.

The district says it continues to follow the FHSAA guidelines and stated to NBC2:

This practice was part of off-season conditioning and took place from 7-10:30 a.m. It was held both indoors and outdoors. At these practices, water breaks are given at least every 30 minutes and sooner if needed. Players are also encouraged to stop and hydrate whenever necessary during those breaks.

The district's comment continued, “Our thoughts are with the player and his family. The coach is in regular contact with them and offering them whatever support they need.”

According to the FHSAA, no athlete can wear any pads or equipment on school grounds during the summer.